The Demon Within Her
by kclrox11
Summary: Kagome thought she was just a normal partygirl. But something-- and someONE-- that are very PARAnormal are heading her way. Rated for language and possible lemon scene in future chapter s .
1. Chapter 2

A/N: I have decided to end this story.

Yes, I know you're angry. Let me first explain why I haven't updated in so long.

My computer crashed. I am young and have no money. My grandfather decided to be cheap and get Windows 2000 as our operating system for free. That doesn't come with Word and I didn't want to use the crappy word processor that came with it. So I waited… and waited… and waited. And finally, a couple weeks ago, we got Windows XP back.

Now, I will tell you why I'm not continuing the story.

It's not good. I know some will disagree with me, but it's not very good. When I have an actual good idea, I will post it. I only continued as far as I did because I knew other people liked it, but it wasn't making me happy. I'm sorry. I'll leave what I have up so you can reread, and if you want to make a fanfic of my fanfic, be my guest. I don't know who would, but you have my permission. I'm honestly sorry.

Love forever,

Katie


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_My pulse is racing. I can feel the heat, the adrenaline, twisting its way through my body. It's nearly midnight, but I don't notice the dark. I am blinded by the red glaze over my vision._

_I am running from those who would expose me. Place me under glaring lights and study me like some sort of new animal._

_Unfortunately, that's exactly what I am. An animal. I am the queen of beasts, a predator. I am higher up on the food chain than almost everyone else on the planet._

_I dash into a dark alley and pull off my knee-high black stiletto boots. They look good, but they aren't the best shoes for running. I shrink farther back into the shadows when I hear my pursuers' pounding footsteps. They don't run past me for at least a minute and a half. That proves how much more heightened my senses are than any human's. _

_I almost choke as I come to a startling realization, but I stifle the sound because there are still some stragglers jogging past my hiding place. They wouldn't bother studying me. I would never see my true love again. They would kill me._

"Happy birthday, Kaggie!" I heard this call all day on February 25th, my sixteenth birthday. My day was full of well-wishing and special treatment. My party was the next day. Not that my parents _knew_ that my party was the next day, of course. I used my credit card to get the ballroom at the local Hilton. My uber-strict parents thought that my party was the _next_ weekend. All of my friends and I were going to party and possibly get drunk and have hangovers on Sunday and try not to get sniffed out by the cops or our parents. (Personally, I would go with the former, except that it would inevitably lead to the latter finding out.)

I slammed my locker shut at the end of the day and examine my nails. They needed to be repainted before tomorrow. I had already told my dear, sweet parents that I was going to spend the day with the girls and the night at a slumber party. I hoped that they didn't figure out that we all stopped having slumber parties about three years ago.

I went out to the parking lot to find my brother Sota. He's eighteen and a senior. He keeps his grades up and is in the running for class valedictorian. But he has a car (unlike me-- but not for much longer) and has to drive me to and from school unless I stay after for something.

A few freshman girls walked past me, wished me a happy birthday, and then giggled to each other when I nodded, smiled, and thanked them.

I saw Sota from across the parking lot and yell, "Hey, butt face!" Much to my satisfaction, several people first looked at me and then at him, and he turned bright crimson. He is really not well liked, except by the teachers for his superb grades and wonderful class behavior, but to all of the senior class and to most of the rest of the school, he is considered to be the biggest priss to walk the halls of Blackwell High who was not either a girl or gay. Many of the freshman girls usually have a crush on him at the beginning of their high school careers, but soon enough one of their upperclassmen friends clues them in and they get over him _real_ fast.

Or I sneak a little statement about his overwhelming dorkiness into the morning announcements at the beginning of the year.

As I ducked into the passenger seat of Sota's Camaro, my cell phone rang. I expertly flipped open and checked the caller ID. "Hi, Mom."

"Hello, Kagome. Happy birthday, sweetie. Don't go straight up to your room after you get home, okay? Your father and I want to talk to you."

I was instantly alarmed—and a bit suspicious. "Now what did I do?" I whined.

"I don't know," my mom said, sounding surprised. "Daddy and I just want to give you a little birthday surprise. What _did_ you do?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Bye, Mom." Okay, so this probably _wasn't_ about me replacing Sota's toothpaste with shaving cream. Not that I did that. Often.

Sota glanced over at me once we hit a red light. "So Mom and dad are going to give you your 'birthday surprise' today, huh?"

"Yeah," I snorted. "What's it to you?"

"Just… prepare yourself, okay, kiddo? It's going to be more of a surprise than you think."

I smacked his arm playfully, more concerned about him calling me "kiddo" than the rest of the sentence.

"I'm being serious," he insisted, hitting the gas once again. "Don't take any of this lightly."

I stared up at him with big, round, innocent eyes—trying to get information. "Why, dearest big brother," I said in my most sugary-sweet voice, "do you, perchance, happen to know what my surprise is?"

"Yes," he answered with a grunt.

I smiled at him, my recently-whitened teeth almost glowing. "Could you possibly tell me?"

"No!" he shouted, hitting the brakes and pulling over. "No," he said more calmly. "That is Mom and Dad's job. You'll find out soon enough." He pulled back onto the road. "We're almost home."

A/N: This is my first story. I hope you like it and review please. Positive and negative comments are welcome as long as you are polite about it, okay? Now on with the fic!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello my adoring fans

A/N: Hello my adoring fans! :D I am listening to What I've Done by Linkin Park right now and I don't really want to write this chapter, but I have to, because I'm not going to be one of those people who updates only once a month (or year). So here is the third chapter of The Demon Within Her. Please R&R.

_**Chapter Three**_

I stared at my parents. They stared back. Then I burst out laughing.

"Yeah, right! Oh, you guys are so funny." I wiped some tears of mirth from my blue eyes. "Seriously, what is it? Or was that unusual example of good humor coming from you my present?"

My mother laid her hand on my lower thigh. "Kagome," she said softly, "this _is_ it."

"Your mother and I are demons, taiyoukai actually, and—" My dad started.

"Tie what?" I interrupted rudely.

"Upper-class demons," Dad answered patiently. "Normal demons are just called youkai, and half-demons are hanyou."

I recognized the sound of the words, if not the actual terms, from my foreign languages class. "Why are we using Japanese words to describe mythical creatures?"

"We are not mythical creatures, Kagome!" my mom snapped. I was taken aback, and I leaned slightly away from her. My parents had _never_ talked to me like that before. "Now you are going to stop interrupting every two seconds or we're going to take away your phone! And your laptop!"

Oh. My. God.

"Oh, you won't have to worry about me butting in," I sneered, standing up. "I refuse to be a part of this conversation anymore." I brushed past my mother and stormed up the stairs.

"Kagome!" My father shouted after me, but my mom stopped him. "Let her go, honey. It's a lot to swallow, and she hasn't even heard all of it yet."

I didn't _want_ to hear the rest of it! I wanted to go back to my normal life, with my normal friends and normal family! Well, my family was only _semi_-normal at the best of times, but normal for them, anyway.

I could feel the evil tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, and I angrily tried to brush them away, without much success. I knew that I had to find out what the hell was going on, even though I didn't want to.

I walked down the upstairs hallway and went to the second door on the left and knocked on it. Sota opened up.

"Did Mom and Dad tell you yet?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered curtly. "I'm not too happy about it though, or even sure that I believe it."

"Sorry, kid, but it's the truth." Those words knocked the wind out of me. I took a deep breath and said, "Tell me everything."

TTTTTTTTTT

"Well, as you know, our family is originally from Japan. That's where our names are from. And more or less than five hundred years ago, there were demons running rampant all over the place, especially in Japan. We're descended from some of those demons, Sakura and Momiji. Those are the Originals.

"A while ago, we migrated to America. I think Mom and Dad have been here for at least a hundred years," Sota said.

"A hundred!" I yelped, and then clamped my hands over my mouth.

He laughed and said, "It's okay. That was pretty much my reaction too." Then he continued, "So we've been moving from place to place every once in a while, every time we think that people will notice that we're not aging."

"We don't age?" I asked.

"Well, we do, but only one year for about every three hundred after we complete the transformation."

"Transformation?" I squeaked. "Ugh, my head hurts, I'm so confused."

"Well, we just get our full demon forms. That's all. And we look like the most gorgeous things on earth to humans. We have to put a spell on ourselves when we're around humans so we won't stand out too much," Sota explained.

"Okay." I sighed in relief. "Well, then that's not a big deal."

"Yeah, but something else is," Sota said, a bit sadly.

"What?" I shrieked, freaking out again. "What's the matter? What is it? What is it? What? What?"

Sota looked into my eyes, sighed heavily, and whispered, "All of the girls in our family have arranged marriages."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, I am actually going to remember the disclaimer this time, because I don't want to get sued

A/N: Okay, I am actually going to remember the disclaimer this time, because I don't want to get sued. That would suck. So, with no further ado…

Me: Inuyasha and Co! Get your lazy butts in here!

Sesshomaru: Do not tell me what to do, worthless human.

Me: Well, somebody has to do it!

Kagome: -enters room- Katie does not own me or any other Inuyasha characters.

Me: Thank you, Kagome. You get a gold star.

Kagome: -raises eyebrows- A gold star?

Me: Fine, a bag of tortilla chips then.

Kagome: YAY!!

Disclaimer Finite

Chapter Four

"I… what?" I sat on Sota's bed, stunned. Then I burst out laughing. "Oh, Sota, that was funny. Arranged marriage. Ha!" I wiped some tears that displayed my wonderful sense of humor from my eyes.

Sota said, gently, "Kagome. I'm not kidding. You are going to have to marry somebody that Mom and Dad pick for you."

I basically exploded. "But this is America, for God's sakes! They can't do that! Don't I have a choice in the matter?"

Sota shook his head glumly. "Actually, no, you really _don't_ have a choice in the matter. It's all going to be between Mom and Dad and some other taiyoukai family. Just hope that it's not one in the Underground, the secret community of demons. The ones that are in the Underground are generally the ones who can't change into a human form, or prefer not to. And they are mostly dragons."

"It doesn't matter what they are!" I screeched hysterically. "I'm not marrying anyone! Not anytime soon. And it's most _definitely_ NOT going to be somebody that my _parents_ pick out! I mean, that's just _not fair!"_

"So what if it's not fair!" Sota yelled backed. He was really getting worked up, which was unusual for him. If there had been any doubt in my mind that this was real before, now I was sure. I was a demoness, descended from royalty, and I had to make sure that the bloodline was carried on by marrying another taiyoukai.

Damn.

I groaned. "I guess we should go talk to Mom and Dad, huh?"

Sota immediately backed away. "We? Oh, no. there is no 'we' in this, Kagome. There is _you_, but there is none of me. I am staying out of it."

"Then why did you tell me everything in the first place?" I challenged him.

"Crap," he said, which shocked me deeply. "Let's get this over with, then." He started to leave, but I stopped him.

"You said 'crap.' Sota, I am SO proud of you!" I hugged him, then stepped back, wiping an imaginary tear from my eye (I do that a lot, don't I?) as I did so.

"Well, I see that you have retained your sense of humor in this new view of your life," Sota replied dryly.

"Whatever," I sneered at him. Then I threw open his door and thundered down the stairs, taking deep, cleansing breaths, because boys' bedrooms all smell really bad, even if they're a super-nerd. But Sota was a super-nerd who told me everything that I needed to know, so I hadn't said anything. But his room _STUNK_.

I guess that even though I said _all_ boys' rooms smell bad, I wouldn't actually know, because I've only been in Sota's room. Even though I am known as the resident bad girl at Blackwell High, I am still a virgin and have not been able to hold down a steady boyfriend for more than two weeks. But that one guy (I mean, the one guy who I was with for two weeks) gave me a pretty ring and everything. After we broke up, he wanted it back, but I told him I lost it, because I wanted to keep it. It was shiny and sparkly and if I painted my nails the right color, it would make my whole hand gleam.

Did I technically steal it?

Oh, well, whatever. What's done is done.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Mom and Dad were waiting for us downstairs. Mom smiled a little bit when she saw us, but it didn't quite make it to her eyes, and Dad just nodded gravely.

"So," I said seriously, "I'm a demon chick."

"Yes, you are, sweetheart," my mother said, "and we—"

I held up my right hand to stop her. "Don't try to explain anything more to me. I know. Sota told me." My dad gave Sota a look that said _You are so grounded_, but Sota wasn't paying attention. He was still staring at me, waiting for me to finish. "I have to marry some other taiyoukai, probably somebody that I've never even met before, just so we can keep the demon heritage going. Right?"

"Yes," my father said gravely. "I know that this isn't what you had planned for your life, but this is what id going to happen. We have already chosen a family for you to marry into, but they have two males about your age. So you are going to get to know each of them a little bit, and then you are going to decide who you want to marry. You two will buy a house or rent one and live together until you are eighteen. Then you two will get married and you will live happily ever after."

"I'm not a princess in some dumb fairy tale!" I shouted. "I'm a person with rights and feelings and it's not fair to shove this all on me! And there isn't any happily ever after in this scenario!"

"Dad," Sota said quietly, interrupting my rant. "What's the family that you want Kagome to marry into?"

The Taishos. Their sons are Inuyasha and Sesshomaru."

A/N: Okay I was getting a little sick of writing that chapter and I wanted it to end, so I will finish that next chapter. Also people, vote in my poll, because I really need an answer and nobody has voted. –weeps in despair- So I would really, really appreciate it if you guys would vote.

Sesshomaru: If that human wench pairs me with that other human wench, I will wring her neck.

Me: Well, it's a Sessh/Kag and I'm not going to change it so HAHA!

Sesshomaru: if that's the way you want it. -smirks evilly and pulls out Tokijin-

Me: -runs in terror-

See you all next time!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Wow, five chapters already A/N: Wow, five chapters already?! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I'm so horrible.

Inuyasha: I wanna do the disclaimer!

Me: But you didn't want to just a few days ago…

Inuyasha: Times change, wench! Katie-chan does not own me or any other Inuyasha characters. Do I get tortilla chips now?

Me: No. You get a smack on the arm.

Chapter Five

"The Taishos?" I repeated. "I know them. Well, I know one of them, anyway. Inuyasha. He's a junior at Blackwell. He's a _really_ big troublemaker. He's been suspended, like, five times this year. But I don't know anything about... what's his brother's name again?"

"Sesshomaru, Kagome," my mom said. "He's a year older than Sota and he's second-in-command in his father's company, after Mr. Taisho, of course."

"Fascinating," I said, stifling a yawn.

"You will go on a date with both of these fine young men, Kagome, and then you will decide which one you like best. Is that clear?" my dad asked, although he made it very hard to doubt that he wasn't actually asking a questioned.

"Yeah, okay." I waved my hand around like I didn't care. But the truth was, I _did_ care. Even though Inuyasha was the resident bad boy, he was _hot_. And if his brother looked anything like him, I had just hit the goldmine.

I yawned. "So, which first? For the date, I mean."

"Whichever you want, sweetie," my mother said happily, obviously pleased to finally be getting at least a semi-positive response from me.

"Oh, it doesn't matter," I said. "You guys pick."

"All right then," my dad said. "Your first date will be with Inuyasha."

"Yay," I said.

And so my first real encounter with Inuyasha Taisho began.

TTTTTTTTT

Of course, I had to cancel my freaking birthday party. I mean, I didn't care at the time or anything, but now I wish that I had gone anyway. It would have been a _huge_ stress outlet.

Our date was at a fancy fish restaurant that was probably worth about a hundred dollars per person that decided to pop in there. They must've just raked in the cash at prom time.

Inuyasha arrived at my house promptly at five-thirty. My parents had warned me that the place would be severely upscale, so I had on a deep burgundy evening gown that hugged my body to the knees, and then fell out. My hair was elegantly twisted up, my make-up was flawless, and my accessories were all sparkling.

Naturally, I was miserable. Even though I'm very fortunate to have grown up with a lot of money, I haven't really appreciated it. And I don't like it. I'm happy to go out in public with jeans that have holes in the knees and an old sweatshirt of my dad's that is like size XXL and says Indiana Hoosiers on it. I mean, I like to have clothes and money and all that, but I'm much happier to be dressed casually.

Inuyasha was wearing a classic black tux, and he looked flawless too. He looked pretty uncomfortable, but flawless.

When my dad opened the door, I swept down the grand staircase (as rehearsed. Yuck) and gave Inuyasha my best Dazzling Smile. I think he choked on his own spit a little. He offered his arm to me and we headed out to his waiting limousine.

At first I wasn't really relaxed, since Inuyasha was basically a virtual stranger, and all, but we got talking pretty quick.

"So," he said.

"So," I repeated.

"This isn't really fair, is it? Our parents picking who we marry."

"No, it isn't. I mean, I'm sure you're nice and everything," I responded, "but I would rather fall in love, not be forced to marry somebody that I practically don't know."

He glanced over at me shyly. "You're a popular, aren't you? I heard about your birthday party; it was all over school. I was actually gonna crash it with some friends, but I guess you had to cancel, didn't you?"

I grinned. "Yeah, I did. And I don't think anyone would've noticed if you had crashed. There would've been too many people to tell who was invited and who wasn't."

Over dinner we continued that conversation. As I snapped my napkin over my lap, I said, "Well, next time you're officially invited."

He gave a look that obviously said are-you-crazy? "But that that takes out al the fun," he complained.

"Well, fine then," I huffed. "But I'll tell them not to kick you out when you get caught."

"Why are you getting so pissed off?!" Inuyasha asked angrily.

"What do mean?" I said. "_I'm_ no the one who's getting mad! You are!"

"You are the one who's yelling!" he shouted, causing several people occupying other tables to turn and stare at us.

I wanted to just tell him to stop arguing, but that wasn't really in my nature. "No, you are, dummy! That's it; I'm leaving, in _your_ limo! And you still have to pay for it!"

I stood up and flounced out pretty regally. I knew that all the guys—even the married ones—were staring at my tan and very bare back. Well, more power to them.

"Home, please," I said to the limo driver. "You can come back for Inuyasha later."

"Yes, Miss Higurashi." The driver nodded, and we sped off towards my house.

I ran inside and slammed the door. Then I pretended to start crying. "That sucked!" I screamed. "I never wanna see that dumb jerk's face again!"

There, that ought to do it, I thought, satisfied with myself. I won't have to get married to somebody I hate.

Boy, was I wrong.

A/N: Okay, I only have one more thing to say, besides apologizing again for taking so long. But if you are a Nerd for Obama, give me a w00t in your review. And if you are a Nerd for McCain, you shame all nerds everywhere.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, I posted the last chapter yesterday, so there will be no procrastinating

A/N: Okay, I posted the last chapter yesterday, so there will be no procrastinating. Hopefully, I will have this one up within the next week or so. If I don't, gomen nasai.

Sesshomaru: Katie does not own me or any other Inuyasha characters.

Me: I didn't even ask for it this time!

Sesshomaru: I'm an overachiever.

"What do you mean, I still have to go on the second date?!" I shrieked at my mother the next morning. "I DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT JERK EVER AGAIN! What part of that don't you understand?" I was boiling mad. And I deserved to be. I mean, Inuyasha had been a complete ass the night before and now I was supposed to go on a freakin' date with his brother? No way. That was simply unacceptable. If Inuyasha didn't mean my standards, it was highly unlikely that his older brother would either.

"Kagome, it's already been decided that you will marry one of them. Why do you have to fight me?" my mom asked tiredly.

"'Cause I can," I said crankily. "Besides, even if I'm married to Sesshomaru and not Inuyasha, I will still technically be related to him, right? He'll be my brother-in-law, right?"

"Yes," my mother responded slowly, evidently trying not to set me off again.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can handle the emotional trauma of that situation," I explained severely. Well, my words and tone were severe. But I had to stop myself from cracking up every five seconds. I didn't really mean it. Inuyasha was a completely worthless fool, but Sesshomaru was supposed to be the responsible one. And the dependable one was generally the more tolerable one. I just didn't want to marry someone I didn't know or love.

I had everything else in life. Why couldn't I have true love too?

While I had spaced out, mulling over all of this, my mom had apparently called my father over and now he was shouting at me. But I had no clue what he was saying.

"What?" I shouted back. "What, what, what? Why can't you just let me live my own life?" I pretended to break down in tears. I needed all the ammunition I could get to win this one. My dad was determined to make this marriage happen, and I was dead-set against it.

"Kagome," my dad said. He came over to where I had "fallen" on the floor and knelt beside me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Sweetie, I know this is hard, but you have to do it for our family. When you were born, we knew this would be the most difficult thing we would ever do to you. We were actually supposed to tell you when you turned thirteen, but we wanted to protect you for as long as possible." He stroked my tear-stained cheek with his thumb. That's when I realized I wasn't fake-crying anymore. I was _really_ crying. Doing this—getting married—would ruin my life. And I was supposedly at the prime of it, ready to take on the world. Instead, it felt like the world was crashing in around me, stuffing itself in a garbage disposal, backing up, and leaving me to clean up the disgusting mess.

It wasn't just about me though. It was about keeping our family name alive and thriving (Although when you think about it, that didn't really make any sense, because my last name would change. They really should've been making Sota marry off to some demon chick. But whatever. Parents are weird). I had to make sure I had a child in the next few years that would keep the family honor alive.

"I guess," I whispered through a tough throat. Then I coughed away the tears and smiled weakly. "You're lucky you have such a cool daughter."

My parents looked at each other and grinned, then enveloped me in a hug that was filled with my mom's perfume, my dad's cologne, and lots of salty water.

TTTTTTTTT

A week passed. Every day, I heard, "Hey, Kagome, did you really go out with Inuyasha?" paired with wrinkled noses, a sure sign of disgust. Even my best friend, Sango Miyomora, gathered up the courage to ask me on Friday, the day before the next big date.

"Kagome," she asked hesitantly when we were walking from science to French. "Um, did you go out with, um, Inuyasha Taisho last weekend? Is that why you canceled your party?"

I walked faster. "Yes," I mumbled. "But it was a mistake, and it won't happen again."

"Was he terrible?" she inquired sympathetically. "I mean, Miroku hangs out with those dumb goons sometimes. Maybe his lecherous ways rubbed off on them a little or something."

Miroku was Sango's boyfriend. They had been going steady for quite a while now, even though he was kind of a perv and kept grabbing her ass in public.

"No, it wasn't anything like that—although he _was_ absolutely dreadful," I assured her. "He was just, I don't know. He's one of those who has anger issues, I think. And he can't take a joke. He started yelling at me after I made one little comment about him sneaking into my party or something."

"Ohhhhhh." She nodded contemplatively. "I see what you mean. So he was just an obnoxious boy?"

"Yeah, pretty much," I agreed. "Come on, we're gonna have to, like, run up the stairs and the all the way down the Foreign Languages hallway if we're gonna make it to class."

"Hey wait!" Sango yelled at me after I started jogging, not because I was afraid I was going to be late, but because I wanted to avoid the conversation.

I managed to avoid it the rest of the afternoon. But Sango occasionally hitched a ride off Sota and me at the end of the day, and I couldn't just ditch my best friend.

She just had to keep digging the grave of my social life. "So the buzz is that you're going on another big date this weekend, with _Inuyasha's older brother._ Is that true?"

"I wonder where _that_ particular gossip could've come from," I said, shooting a pointed look at Sota. A dark flush started creeping up his neck, but he said nothing.

"Gossip?" Sango looked crestfallen. "It's just a rumor?"

"No," I sighed. "It's not. I am going on a date with Sesshomaru tomorrow, on my parents' recommendation." I snorted these last few words. "That's why I went out with Inuyasha too. My parents and theirs want either me and Inuyasha or me and Sesshomaru to hook up."

"Ew."

"No kidding. So anyways, Inuyasha was annoying and rude, so I'm hoping his brother will be better. Otherwise, there's no way in _hell_ I'm marrying him." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I clamped my hands over it. But it was too late.

I stared at Sango with wide eyes. Her mouth was moving up and down but making no sound, like a fish out of water. Finally, she found words. "You're getting _married?_ To _Inuyasha?_ Or is it Sesshomaru? And _why?_ I mean, you're only sixteen, for God's sake. Only _just_ sixteen. Are you pregnant? Kagome, I told you being the bad girl was a really bad idea. I can't believe I let you do this." I guess she was making up for the lost time when she had looked like a goldfish. "Did you get raped or something? Or did you do it willingly? And wasn't he supposed to be wearing a condom? God, Kagome, our stock is going to absolutely _plummet_. Why couldn't you just listen to me?"

"Sango, shut the hell up!" Sota finally yelled.

"Whoa," I said, leaning away from him. "Assertive much?"

"She was pissing me off," he said. "She thought you were sleeping around, but I know you would never do that. You're like that girl in that cheerleader movie with Rihanna. You want your first time to be special."

"You mean Hayden Panettiere in Bring It On: All or Nothing?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes!" he said triumphantly. "That's it!"

"No comment," Sango said, starting to giggle. Then I started laughing too. It was hilarious. And besides, I needed a good laugh.

After we had quieted down, I said to Sango, "Listen, come spend the night on Sunday." My parents wouldn't mind if she came. They just _loved_ Sango. "We can get ready for school and stuff, do each other's nails, or whatever, and I'll tell you everything then. All right?"

She looked at me with trusting eyes. I knew right then I wouldn't be able to spin any lies. I would have to tell her the truth. "All right," she said, keeping that unwavering gaze trained on my face.

Sota dropped Sango off at home, and then we headed to our house. It was all done in utter silence. We had nothing to say.

"Hi, sweetheart," my mom greeted me as I walked in. She kissed me on the cheek. "Are you ready for your date tomorrow, honey?"

"I guess." I shrugged. "Do you know where he's taking me?"

"Well, his father called and he said Sesshomaru is going to take you to a, um, a movie," she said.

I instantly perked up. "A movie? Cool? Did he say what one?"

"I think it's an early showing, almost by a month, actually, of some vampire movie. Twilight."

"Twilight?!" I screeched, and then I promptly started jumping around in circles. "I love that book! I can't believe I don't even have to wait that much longer to see the movie! Ooh, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner! A vampire _and _a werewolf! I am so freaking excited!"

"Calm down, Kagome," my mother said bemusedly. "You can just wear jeans and a T-shirt. But make sure they're your skinny jeans."

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "I have to go find my Team Jacob shirt!"

"Don't you dare wear that tomorrow night, Kagome Brianna Higurashi!" my mom shouted after me.

"I'll wear it all day in tribute, and then I'll change, okay?"

I didn't even stay to hear her answer though. Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, I sang joyfully in my head. I'm going to see Twilight tomorrow night! YAY!!

TTTTTTTTTTTT

The next day, I put on my skinny jeans, as instructed by _both_ of my parents, my black Converse high-tops (a must-have for every girl with skinny jeans, because they don't really look good with anything else) and my Team Jacob shirt. At five-thirty, exactly half-an-hour before Sesshomaru was supposed to knock on my door, I changed into my dark gray T-shirt with blue and pink skulls forming the shape of a treble clef coming out of a black stereo. I rocked out to Paramore for fifteen minutes, then went downstairs to wait.

The doorbell rang at six. "I'll get it!" I shouted, racing to the front door, eager to get going. I yanked it open, and then my mind went blank.

I was staring at the face of a god.

He offered me his hand. "Hello," he said, his deep voice quiet and musical. "I'm Sesshomaru Taisho."

A/N: I know you guys just can't wait for the next chapter. And that's exactly why I'm not going to write it right away. (And I have a dreadful case of writers' block. I seriously have no clue what I want to happen next.) I'm excited for whatever's going to happen though.

But, devoted readers, I need you to give me critique in your reviews, not just say "Oh, that's awesome, please write more soon." I never understood why that agitated writers so much, but now I get it. I want to know how you guys think my story could get better. If you don't think it could, then tell me that too. I want to know what you think. Okay?

See you next time! :D


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Okay, I am finally getting around to writing this

A/N: Okay, I am finally getting around to writing this. To Taylor Swift. Yes, I have Taylor Swift playing again and again. I mean, you just have to love her. I know I do. But now I'm sidetracked. Okay… um… I remember now!! I want to thank KiraraTwoTail for giving me the best review I've so far, even though it says it was three in the morning when she typed it, so I'm not really sure what she was trying to say :D. And you know, I have always wondered why they spell Kirara's name with two "R"s instead of two "L"s, since that's what it sounds like… Okay, my mindless rambling is done! I'm sure you eager beavers (hee hee) want to read the story, so here it is!

Sango: After the disclaimer. We don't want you getting sued, now do we?

Me: -rolls eyes- Yes, _Mom_. I do not own any Inuyasha characters or anything else affiliated with it. (Like the Naraku doll my friend bought that one day we were at the mall.)

My Friend Mysty: It's an action figure!!

Me: Whatever.

"Hi." I smiled weakly. "I'm, um, Kagome Higurashi." No!! I was _this_ close to forming at least a semi-intelligent sentence! And then that stupid "um" had to creep its way in there! Dammit!

"I know." His smile mirrored mine. Did he think I was cute? Or was he just nervous? Ohmygosh. Please don't start hyperventilating!

His hand was still hanging in midair. I quickly grabbed it and shook it. His finger nails scratched my knuckle when I let go and _it started to bleed._

"Oh!" I gasped. "Excuse me. I'll go clean up really fast."

"Let me," Sesshomaru said. He gently lifted my hand up to his mouth and… well. He licked the cut. Yeah. That's a little weird. But it stopped bleeding and started scabbing over.

"How'd you do that?" I asked. "I mean, that's just… Oh my dear sweet lord! That's kinda freaky!"

He chuckled, but there wasn't really any humor in his voice. "All demons have some sort of healing." I had completely forgotten why we were even supposed to be going out! I had forgotten that I was a demon! Is that sad or what? "My saliva can heal minor injuries."

"And your claws can _cause_ minor injuries," I pointed out, glancing at my hand, then back at him. My goodness, he was hot. You would think that a young guy with long sliver hair would just look weird, but he didn't. He looked otherworldly.

"Yes, they can," he agreed. "Do you want to leave so we can make it to the movie on time?" What movie? Oh. Twilight. I'm such a retard.

"Yeah. Let's go." I smiled, but surprisingly not at the prospect of sitting in a movie theater for two hours, watching Robert Pattinson. And Taylor Lautner. I was excited that I was going to be sitting in a dark theater for two hours _next to Sesshomaru Taisho._ That was a bit… strange. Was I starting to fangirl over a real guy, as opposed to fictional characters?

TTTTTTTTTTTT

On the drive, we were silent. It was a jarring contrast to my date with Inuyasha. It bothered me a little bit, because Lord knows I am a huge talker, but I knew he probably wasn't going to respond to any conversation.

Still, I had to try.

"So…" I tapped my fingers on my leg. "What do you like to do?"

"I like to listen to music," he said. Yay! I got a positive response! Granted, he was staring out the window when he said it, but still.

"What kind of music?" I asked. He may have thought I was being a huge pest, but I didn't care. I wanted to get to know him better.

"All kinds, but my favorite bands are Paramore and Linkin Park."

"No F-ing way!" I shouted, maybe a bit _too_ loudly. He looked at me as if I were a little bit crazy. "Those are my favorites too! 'Numb' is, like, my theme song!"

"Me too," he mumbled. Then he returned to staring out the window.

That should've been a sign to me that the discussion was over. But I had to keep rambling. "You too what?"

"I think that 'Numb' is my theme song too."

There was sadness in his voice when he said that. Did somebody pressure him to be someone that he wasn't? I can't believe anybody would want him to be anything but the perfect creature that he was.

Like a dork, I started singing:

_I've become so numb_

_I can't feel you there_

_Become so tired_

_So much more aware_

_I'm becoming this_

_All I want to do_

_Is be more like me_

_And be less like you_

"You're a good singer," Sesshomaru commented when I finished.

I blushed. "No, not really. I just like music."

"Well, _I_ think you're good. And my seal of approval is all you need." Then he smiled. Really smiled. It wasn't a little half-smirk like the ones he'd been giving me all evening. He looked happy. But as soon as it was there, it disappeared again. If I had blinked, I would have missed it.

I _really_ wanted to make him look that way again.

"Are you going to get out?" Sesshomaru asked me.

"What?" I blinked. We were at the theater. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just thinking." I shoved open the door and got out.

As soon as we went inside, the smell of butter-flavored oil and burnt popcorn overwhelmed my senses. "Excuse me," I said, covering my mouth with my hand and rushing to the bathroom. I threw up into one of the toilets (that other people had used. I know, gross), washed my hands, and went back outside, breathing heavily through my mouth. And even that was pushing it.

"Once you know what you are, your senses become more acute," Sesshomaru explained. "But you don't need as much oxygen as humans. Just breathe shallowly through you your mouth."

I followed his instructions, and found that I immediately felt better. "Thanks. I feel _so_ much better."

"No problem." And he looked truly happy again.

TTTTTTTTTTT

I barely saw the movie. I was too busy paying attention to how close Sesshomaru and I were to each other. We were practically touching! I should've at least been paying a little bit of interest to the movie so that when something semi-scary happened, I could pretend to be frightened.

But I had no idea what was going on. And when it came out officially I'd have to pay to see it so that I'd know if it was actually good or not. Damn.

"Did you like it?" Sesshomaru asked after we left.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "It was good. Actually, I might even go see it again."

"I'm glad you found it so enjoyable."

He insisted on walking me to my front door once we reached my house. He kissed my hand like an old-fashioned gentleman and said, "Good night. I hope you have sweet dreams."

Without thinking, I said, "Oh, I _definitely_ will, since you're going to be one of the last things I see before I go to sleep." I was instantly aware of a deep flush highlighting my cheeks. I looked away, obviously embarrassed.

"I think I'll have good dreams too." With that, he stepped away and left. I could have sworn I saw his shoulders shaking slightly as if he were laughing.

He had definitely swept me off my feet.

A/N: So… that was fun, wasn't it? I do have a couple more disclaimers, and these ones aren't fun and don't have special guests like my Naraku-doll-obsessed friend (she also bought a Gaara plushie at the same store).

Mysty: Hey! You say that like it's a bad thing!

Me: Oh, trust me, it is. –shoves Mysty out of room and locks door- Okay, disclaimers. I do not own Linkin Park, Paramore, or Twilight, or anything affiliated with those two things. Well, I own copies of all the Twilight Saga books and both Paramore CDs, but that's different. I don't actually own _rights_ to any of those things.

Mysty:-breaks down door- I hate you.

Me: Yeah, but you will still read my fanfiction because you said that it's really good.

Mysty: True.

Note: Mysty was not actually with me when I wrote this. Everything that she "said" is just what I think she would say if she were with me. Although, I don't think she is actually strong enough to beat down a door. And Mysty, if you're reading this, when you jazz hands in show choir, your hand looks distorted. Just so you know.

She will probably kill me after she reads this. Seriously. Her dad had a collection of medieval torture devices in their basement. (Her family is really weird.) So if she does, I love you all! If she doesn't, I still love you all! And I will actually be able to continue writing if I am not maimed or disfigured in any way! YAY!! (Sorry I'm so hyper. I just drank a Monster and those things make me a teeny bit psycho.)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: So I am participating in National Novel Writing Month. It's actually required in my Language Arts class. Because I'm in the advanced class. Yippee. So I probably won't be posting as much this month because I have to write at least fifteen thousand words in one story. Yeah. Lots of fun. Especially since my Internet felt like screwing up today and it won't let me access anything on the NaNoWriMo website except for the homepage, which is naturally pissing me off. But whatever. I'm writing my fanfic instead. Lucky you guys.

Sango: Do the disclaimer!

Me: I'm getting to it! Dang. Calm down. Who wants to do the disclaimer?

Inuyasha: I do! I do!

Me: Fetch.

Kagome: Katie does not own me or any other Inuyasha characters.

Me: Love ya, Kagome.

Kagome: Doesn't everyone?

Chapter Eight

My parents gave me until the next day to tell them who I was going to be with. Then began the pestering.

"So, Kagome," my mom said at breakfast on Saturday. "What did you think? Who are you going to choose?"

"I don't know yet, Mother," I said tiredly, rubbing my eyes. "I just woke up. Ask me again later."

When I headed back upstairs to take a shower, my dad stopped me. Before he could even ask, I said, "Dad. I haven't decided. I'll tell you guys when I'm sure."

"Sure, sweetie," he replied. He gave me a little peck on the cheek and headed off to work.

I know a lot of people do their best thinking in the shower, and I'm no exception. Only I'm usually how I'm going to sneak out of the house next time I feel like doing so. This time, I was contemplating my whole future. As I mulled over it, I had quite the epiphany (thank you, Simpson's Movie for that wonderful definition.). I should be thinking about the usual thing I think about in the shower: slipping out. Why couldn't I get out of it by just running away? It was such a simple solution, I almost laughed at myself for not thinking of it earlier.

Now all I had to do was figure out how, exactly, I was going to do it.

TTTTTTTTTT

When I went back downstairs, my mom started bugging me again. "Have you gotten it all figured out yet, honey? I noticed that you took an extra-long shower. You were thinking, weren't you, Kagome? I always try to work out my problems and make difficult decisions when I'm in the shower too, and it normally seems to help me. Well, there was that one time--"

"Mom!" I shouted. It shut her up pretty quickly, that's for sure. Then I steadied my voice and said, "No. I'm still not sure yet. I'll let you know, okay?"

She smiled. "All right. I hope you know that I'm always here if you need to talk."

I mirrored her fake-ass smile. "Yeah, Mom, I know. You always have been and you always will be when I need you. You're a great mom."

"I try."

"Oh! Dude, I almost forgot! Can Sango spend the night tomorrow?"

"So soon after all of this? Are you sure that's the best idea?" My mother was clearly worried about this. And by _this_, I mean she was scared I would tell Sango about us. You know. The whole demon thing.

"I won't _tell_ her anything, Mom. I just think it'll feel really good to talk to her about the things I _can_ say."

"I understand. Yes, she can come over."

"Great!" My enthusiasm was real, unlike my mother. "I'll go call her right now and let her know, okay?"

I ran back upstairs, to my room. Luckily, it had the best cell phone reception in whole house. She answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Sango? It's Kagome. My mom gave me the okay on you staying the night tomorrow. So pack your bags and get ready to some to Casa de Higurashi. You are in for a seriously killer gossip session. Only it's not really going to be gossip, because it's about me, and I naturally know the whole story when it's about me. So pack up your listening ears too. You are not going to want to miss any of this!"

"Christ, Kagome. You have me practically foaming at the mouth. I can't wait!" Sango's staticky voice said.

"Thank you for the lovely analogy, Lucky," I responded.

"Lucky? How am I lucky?" Again, her voice cut through the snowstorm, slightly muffled.

I giggled, and then said, "Because you are to insane to even be my friend at all, and yet you're my _best_ friend!" Then I laughed some more. After a few seconds, Sango joined in.

"Gee, thanks, Kagome. You make me feel so loved."

"You are, especially by me! Later."

"Bye."

I tidied up my room a little because I knew that my mom would want me to, even though I didn't feel like it. Then I ran back downstairs to the kitchen to check if we had any decent snack foods. We had a whole box of popcorn (but of course Sango and I wouldn't eat all of those bags of popcorn. Maybe only two or three bags), a bag of sour cream and onion Sun Chips, and two family-sized bags of tortilla chips. I snagged all of these things, plus a jar of salsa and a big bowl for dipping, and ran to set things up in my room.

A/N: Well, I was going to put their sleepover conversation in this chapter, but I know you guys wanted a new chapter, so we'll wait for the next one. And NaNoWriMo is almost over—there's less than a week left—and I only have a couple hundred words to write until I reach my word goal of 15,000. I'm like 97% done. I can write 200 words in like half an hour. Actually, a lot less than that, but whatever. I am so sorry that I didn't update for forever, but I'm getting to get started on my next chapter as soon as I post this one. So I should have it up within the next two weeks. For those of you who haven't given up on me, I love you all. Actually, I love you even if you did give up on me and you just didn't take this off of your story alert yet. And you know, I only had to write another paragraph before I finished this chapter. Jesus, I'm a procrastinator. Oh, and remember my friend Mysty? She told me she hates me because I made fun of her in my Author's Note. So who wants to be my new best friend? Hugs and kisses, Katie


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I don't own any Inuyasha characters in any way, shape, or form.

Miroku: What? None of us get to do the disclaimer? I was really looking forward to it.

Me: Sorry. I'm too lazy to let anyone else do it. But you're going to become a major character in the next couple of chapters, so you have that to look forward to.

Miroku: Really?

Me: No, probably not.

Chapter Nine

Sango got to my house at about six fifteen. I ran to answer the door, eager to tell her everything so that there would be no more secrets. I mean, we're best friends. How can our friendship stay that way if we kept stuff from each other?

My parents got to the door first. I could hear them saying that she had gotten so much taller since the last time they had seen her—about two weeks previous. God, are my parents suck-ups or what? "Oh, Sango," my mom squealed. "You are such a lady now. How are things going with that boyfriend of yours?"

"Things are fine, Mrs. Higurashi," Sango replied politely, the way she knew they would approve of. "Sometimes he has a hard time keeping his eyes off of other girls, but I can't really blame him. I'm not anything special." I nearly burst out laughing from where I was crouching, hidden, behind the wall. Sango, with her perfect features and supermodel gorgeous body, was fishing for compliments! And my parents ate it up.

"Don't kid yourself, Sango," my dad boomed in his big, intimidating voice. "You are the prettiest girl I've ever seen--" My mom gave him that "Wife Look." It's like a "Mom Look" only scarier. "—except for my lovely wife, of course."

I stepped out from behind the wall where I had been listening for the past few minutes and cleared my throat. "And my beautiful daughter!" my dad added hastily, seeing my less-than-pleased expression.

"Come on, Sango," I said, tugging on her arm. "Let's go upstairs."

"Hold on a second, young lady." My mom stopped us from going upstairs. "We were having a perfectly nice conversation with Sango here. Please allow us to finish it." She turned her attention to Sango and pasted a sugary sweet smile on her face. "Don't you ever let any boy treat you that way, dear. You deserve much better than that. You are a wonderful girl with a wonderful personality, and you should never, ever let anyone tell you anything other than that. All right?"

Whenever I said I was ugly or fat, both of my parents just told me to get over myself. But they were treating Sango like a queen! How rude!

Sango smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi. I'll tell Miroku that he'd better shape up or he's gone. You guys were a real help." With that she grabbed my arm just as I had done to her earlier and started hauling me up the stairs. "See you later, Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi!" she shouted.

She plopped me on my bed once we were safe and sound in my room. "Tell me _everything_," she demanded. "If you leave out one single detail and I find out about it, I will hunt you down. Do you hear me, Kagome Higurashi? I will hunt you down and gut you like a dog."

Sango is so scary! "Funny you should say that, actually," I said nervously. "I'll start from the very beginning. Centuries ago, when my family first came to America from Japan, there was a certain couple who were very different from people around them. They were dog demons."

I thought Sango would have at least laughed in disbelief, but there was nothing. She just stared at me intently, waiting for me to continue. "We fast-forward a few hundred years, and here I am, a girl who didn't know she was a demon until her sixteenth birthday. And I'm supposed to marry a demon from another family."

"The Taishos!" Sango gasped. "But that is _so_ not fair! Does Sota have an arranged marriage?"

I shrugged and answered miserably, "No. All the guys in my family can marry whoever they want. But I have to marry a guy from a certain family, and I don't really like either of them! I can't find a way out of it though. I'm trapped by my own family. I agreed to do it. So I'm going to choose Sesshomaru."

"But isn't he supposedly the most emotionless person on the planet or something?" Sango protested. "Why wouldn't you choose Inuyasha?"

"Because he's kinda, sorta a butt hole," I explained calmly, taking a tortilla chip out of its bag, dipping it in the salsa, and taking a huge, crunchy bite. For some strange reason, the crunch factor, the sound you hear when you eat chips or carrots (blech!) or whatever, is very soothing to me. Instead of taking a shower, I should have just grabbed some Doritos and scarfed down half a bag. "Besides, I think Sesshomaru is hurting inside. He just has one of those faces, you know? He kinda looks like a wounded puppy—and I guess you could say he _is_ that, since he's a dog demon—and I want him to be happy. It'll make him happy if I marry him, and it'll make my parents happy too. It kinda sucks that I have to though."

"It 'kinda sucks"? Kagome, that is the understatement of the century," Sango said. "So, what, are you going to live with him until it's legal for you two to get married?"

"That's the plan," I said wistfully. If we were living together, maybe I'd get a chance to see him without a shirt on. And maybe some other clothing items also in absence. "I haven't told my parents yet though. They don't know who I picked. I figured it would only be fair to keep them in suspense for just a little while, since they never bothered to tell me any of this shit until now."

"Oh, Miss Higurashi, I am getting some waves now," Sango said, waving her hands around in the air and closing her eyes, pretending to be a psychic. "Yes, yes, I can feel negative energy… you are pissed off at your parents!"

"Naw, really? I hadn't noticed." I glanced at my clock. It said one AM. Holy crap! We had to get to sleep or we would have circles _and_ bags under our eyes! "Sango, look at the time!" She looked and gasped. I knew she was thinking the exact same thing I was. "Let's get to sleep!"

Sango ran to the bathroom to change into her pajamas while I did the same in my room. Then, when she came back, she dragged the huge air mattress we always have inflated just for her into the room. She plopped down on the bed and promptly fell fast asleep.

It took me a bit longer than that to doze off though. I was still dwelling for a few hours over what was going to happen to me. It had taken a few weeks for reality to set in, but now it finally had. I was a demon, and I was going to marry another demon in a few years once I hit eighteen. And he wasn't someone I loved.

I made a decision as I was lying in my bed at two-thirty in the morning, listening to Sango's soft breathing and occasional snores. I was going to force myself to fall in love with Sesshomaru Taisho, or I wasn't going to marry him. Every girl's dream is to marry someone that she loves with all her heart. I was going to make my dream come true.

A/N: Okay, guys, I had about three different new fanfic ideas in the space of two minutes this morning, so I'm going to start writing one of those right now. I'm going to try my hand at comedy! Yay…! Yeah, it'll probably suck, but oh well. I need to expand my horizons as a writer. It's been inspired by the 50,000 Furuba fanfics with them in a chat room… yeah, you guys know where I'm going with this.

And OMFG Wicked is the best musical to ever grace Broadway stages! I saw it in Chicago a couple days ago and it was so great! They're leaving Chicago in a few weeks, but I WILL FLY OUT TO LOS ANGELES IF I HAVE TO SO I CAN SEE IT AGAIN! It was really that good. So go out right now and go buy yourselves some tickets to see Wicked!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, here is the next, much-anticipated chapter. YAY!! Just so you guys know, my show choir is entering contest season in a few weeks, so we are having rehearsals at least two nights a week and on Saturdays, so I may be updating even less often than usual. I really hope that I'll be able to update more though. **

Chapter Ten

Sango went home the next day, leaving me to break the news to my parents. She knew I was choosing Sesshomaru, and now it was their turn to find out. I wasn't ready to tell them yet though. I needed more practice.

I needed Sota. For such a horrible sister I was, he was still pretty nice to me. I owed him an apology.

"Hey, kid," he greeted me after answering his door. "What do you need?"

"I need to talk," I told him. He started to open his door more so I could get in, but I said, "Can we discuss this in my room? I'll feel more comfortable in there." I'd actually be able to breathe in there.

We got to my room and started talking. I told him everything, even how I'd told Sango about the whole demon thing. He kind of flipped out at that one. "What were you THINKING?! What if she tells someone?"

"She's my best friend," I said confidently. "She won't."

"Whatever. I'm assuming you told her about the arranged marriage thing too?" I nodded. "So how'd she take it?"

"She was a little pissed. You know how feminist she is." Now it was Sota's turn to nod. "She's actually the first person I revealed my decision to. And now you're going to be the second."

Sota leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees with his chin in his hands, eager to hear every word. For a guy, my brother sure is a gossip monger. Maybe… nah.

I took a deep breath and said, "Sesshomaru."

Sota leaned back and said, "Okay. He's a nice enough guy, although he is a little quiet. I approve. He's much better than Inuyasha. He's kind of an asshole.

"Now all you have to do is break the news to Mom and Dad."

I groaned.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"Mommy, Daddy, I have a very important announcement," I declared as I descended the stairs majestically. They glanced from whatever they were doing and looked at me. My mother's smile lit up the whole room. She knew what was coming.

"So, honey." She curled up on her half of the couch, sitting sideways on her knees. "What is it that you want to tell us?"

"On a scale of one to ten, how important do you think it is, babe?" my dad asked my mom. They made kissy faces at each other, almost causing me to toss all the cookies I'd devoured the night before. "What is it, Kagome?" he asked me after they got done trying to make me barf.

I chickened out. "I just wanted to tell you guys that I love you." I ran back upstairs to my room; I slammed my door and locked it once I got there.

I couldn't do it. I would be condemning myself to a life of unhappiness and misery if I did this. I mean, Sesshomaru really _was_ a nice enough guy, but I didn't feel like he was The One. I didn't even know him! How could I be his fiancé and live with him and later _marry_ him if I wasn't in love with him?

My door opened and smacked against the wall. I stared at my mom, wondering how she'd done that. Oh. Demon…. Right.

"Kagome Higurashi, you are going to tell me what you were going to say to us right now," she said menacingly.

"Or what?" I said flippantly.

"OR WE WILL CHOOSE FOR YOU."

"Okay, fine, you win!" I said, throwing my hands up in the air in defeat. "God, why are you DOING this to me? You are ruining my life!"

"Just tell me. The sooner you do, the sooner we can have this all over with," my mother tried to soothe me.

I had mashed my face into my pillow and started crying. I lifted my tear-stained face and looked into her eyes, looking for an ounce of real compassion. There was none. I hated my mother.

I whispered a name. She smiled, patted my leg, and left. My door was still hanging by its bottom hinges.


End file.
